The use of dietary fiber recently has been linked to promotion of good health, for example, ingestion of fiber has been reported to have beneficial effects on weight control, cholesterol levels, diabetes, prevention of cardiovascular disease, prevention of colon cancer, and the like. Dietary fiber is defined as carbohydrate material, typically of plant origin, which is resistant to hydrolysis by enzymes of the mammalian digestive tract. A popular dietary fiber for use in nutritional products is soy fiber. Soy fiber is an insoluble fiber that has many beneficial properties; however, it substantially increases the viscosity of aqueous products which can present difficulties in formulation and administration. For example, soy fiber when used in tube feeding nutritional products can cause a viscosity increase to the extent such that undesirably low flow rates can occur, or the tubes can even clog in extreme situations.
Gum acacia, also know as gum arabic, is a soluble fiber which also has been used in aqueous nutritional products. It's primary application is an emulsifier in beverages and for flavor encapsulation. Gum acacia has also been used in the beverage industry as a source of soluble fiber. Gum acacia, although not known to be one of the more viscous fibers, is known for its thickening or viscosity building properties.
Although soy fiber and gum acacia have been used in nutritional products (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,530 and 5,104,677), both types of fibers are taught in the art to add to, or build, viscosity.
It has been surprisingly discovered, as described in detail hereinafter, that use of gum acacia in aqueous nutritional products containing soy fiber actually lowers the viscosity of the products.